There are certain subjects divide the world into fiercely warrin camps. One of them is the Mar Brothers. There are those who ad. ihe famous trio of comedians and do not seem to care for anyone else. These hold that fun begins 2nd ends with Groucho and Harpo, There are others who cannot imagine what anybody can be laughing at when they are on the screen.
When the Marx Brothers (themselves) appeared on the stage of a London theatre some years ago. family feuds developed and near and dear relatives almost refused to speak to each other because of their differences in taste. On the whole, the comedians did not suit the London public and their personal appearance in the West End was not a financial Certain is it that crime and violence are enjoyed by a large mass of people so long as they are safely on the screen or the stage. The handsome hero of Westerners would be nothing without the sinister criminals who steal the cattle and the heroine through sheer force of habit. From, "Scarface" onwards gangster films have occupied a large proportion of the attention of film producers and directors, and a number of them have raked immense sums into the man-agonal coffers.
Even the "Turn of the Tide" and the coming of the victorious G-Man has made very little difference. The criminal who lounges in supported by his sinister bodyguard to levy blackmail or give somebody the "waiks" is unquestionably a popular person, English producers ana directors, having no picturesque native criminals to speak about, take refuge in spies who have as little hesitation about bumping people off as have the most hardened denizens of Chicago. In the cinema world, one can declare that vice is its own rem snee But, all the same, they go on and their devout public does not falter. Their last picture, "A Day At The Races" suggests that the undiluted Marxian appeal is no longer considered enough. This was suggest too by "A Night At The Opera Groucho and Harpo no longer abound in their distinctive merits as they did in "This Monkey Business" and "Duck Soup".
Groucho talking incessantly and Harpo saying never a word hold the eye and the attention. as firmly even Chaplin could do in his zenith. The present trouble appears to be the difficulty in finding fresh occasions for the silently sinister Harpo to attack those unfortunate young women who are technically known as "stooges." But the stooges are finding their recompense. Miss Margaret Dumont and Miss Esther Muir, who
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